The present invention relates to a vehicle having an exterior mounted camera and more particularly to such a vehicle having a clearness detection and alert for a vehicle user.
Automotive vehicles commonly have exterior cameras that provide viewing for the vehicle operator on an interior screen and may also provide inputs for a vehicle controller. Since the cameras are on the exterior of the vehicle, it is common that the camera lens picks up dirt or other debris that may block the vision of the camera. In some instances, a vehicle operator will not notice that the camera lens is dirty until getting into the vehicle, starting it, and then putting the vehicle in reverse gear. In such instances, the driver may forgo putting the vehicle transmission back into park and getting out of the vehicle to clean the camera lens. The camera, then, loses the desired functionality that the camera is meant to provide until the lens is cleaned.
Additionally, vehicles may provide remote use of the camera while the vehicle operator is away from the vehicle in order to provide features such as enhanced security or live video or pictures of the area surrounding the vehicle. If the camera lens is dirty in such situations, then the purpose of these features is lost until the lens is cleaned.